Michael Guerrera, MD

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Since beginning his career at Children’s National as a fellow in 1998, Michael Guerrera, MD, has gone on to finish his education and continued as a physician in our Division of Hematology. In his current role, Dr. Guerrera is responsible for treating our children who come in with blood disorders and diseases, such as sickle cell. During his time here, Dr. Guerrera also served as Fellowship Director, and focused on being a mentor and educator for students that have come through Children’s National as fellows. “I loved being responsible for helping shape the minds of the incoming fellows. Educating the next generation of physicians, watching them grow, and building a relationship with the future caregivers was truly rewarding for me.”

“I care about everyone, especially children, that’s why I’m here.”

Now, as he continues caring for our hematology patients, Dr. Guerrera has experienced a fair share of challenging diagnoses to overcome with our patients. “As part of an organization such as Children’s, seeing the rare cases come through keeps me on my toes, academically, so that I can continue providing the highest level of care possible for our patients.” In order to make our patients comfortable during those treatments, Dr. Guerrera finds that building a relationship by opening up about his own personal life builds a bond between him and his patients quickly. “I care about everyone, especially children, that’s why I’m here. But treating the patients and families like they’re my own helps them realize how much I truly care, and how hard I’m going to work to help them.”

Caring for our hematology patients can be complex, as they often also receive treatment from other specialties within Children’s. “If a patient comes in to see another doctor, even if it’s in another clinic, I’ll go over and say hello. It’s important for our patients to know that even though I might not be helping them that day, that I understand what else is going on in their treatment, and am there if they need anything.”

"It’s a team effort to make the program so successful.”

Although he has seen his fair share of tough days, Dr. Guerrera looks forward to continuously being able to bring positive outcomes to our patients and their families. Some of the best experiences he can have is to watch a patient grow up and be successful in life. “One former patient, who came to us for cancer treatments when he was younger, recently brought his child to Children’s for care. Seeing him with his own family, and knowing that I helped contribute to making that possible, was one of the most rewarding experiences to date.”

The care that the Division of Hematology provides to our patients and families wouldn’t be possible without the great efforts of our medical staff working on the unit. “I’m honored to be recognized as a ‘Top Doctor’ but it’s really every staff member on our unit that makes it happen. From the nurses and nurse practitioners, to the social workers and physical therapists, it’s a team effort to make the program so successful.”

“Stronger is dedication and caring, putting your patients before all else.”